


A New Beginning

by safeandwarm



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, Post-Season/Series 07, Shiro (Voltron)-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-08-04 21:44:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16354832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/safeandwarm/pseuds/safeandwarm
Summary: Shiro wondered if other people could so easily divide their lives into chunks of time, into beginnings and ends, into eras and epochs, deaths and...





	A New Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written fic since like 2013, so I decided to do this 52 stories in 52 weeks thing to get back in the swing. I feel very rusty, so this is a little rough. I'll be posting some of my favorites as I write, but I felt like I needed to actually force myself to post the first completed thing I've written in ages, so here it is.

Shiro wondered if other people could so easily divide their lives into chunks of time, into beginnings and ends, into eras and epochs, deaths and...

The beginning, the very beginning, the first beginning is with his parents. Then they die. He's just turned five. After that he lives with his grandfather. If Shiro closes his eyes and tries very hard, he can almost remember the smell of the little garden he used to read in after school. He is a quiet kid for a while, and he knows that it worries Sofu, but he never pushes--just buys more books about Io and Ganymede and a telescope so that they can look at them together on clear nights. Shiro has what can by all accounts be called a "good" childhood. He is raised by someone who loved him and supported his interests. When it is time, he leaves Japan with a hug from his grandfather.

Then Shiro is at the Galaxy Garrison. It is flight simulators that make him barf his lunch the first time. It is late nights studying. It is having good friends for the first time in his life. It is kissing a cute boy and feeling so right. It is breaking all the records. It is a punk kid stealing his car and getting in fights. It is incredible.

It is a fucking disaster. 

It is a disease that is slowly destroying his body. Slowly killing his dream.

It is the boy he loved asking him to make a choice, and Shiro choosing the stars because the stars were the only thing that has ever made sense to him in his entire life. And if Shiro only has one life of course he was going to choose the sky. He is hugging Keith goodbye because Adam isn't talking to him, will probably never talk to him again. And Keith is smiling but his eyes are red and puffy and so Shiro holds him and promises he'll be back before Keith even missess him.

The flight to Kerberos is the most amazing experience of his life up to that point.

Zarkon happens. The less said about that the better.

He opens his eyes on Earth. To Keith. And Lance and Hunk and Pidge. Team Voltron before he even knows what Voltron is. 

Being the paladin of the Black Lion is an honor and a privilege. He is part of this incredible team that is doing something absolutely vital and selfless and he loves to see the others grow and become and learn and he's so, so proud. It's almost okay when he dies. He has regrets, of course he does. Anyone would. He wishes he would have...he wishes. And he wants. But it's okay. Because it's almost like he's still there. He still gets to watch over them sometimes. He still gets to see them grow. He gets to see Keith lead, even through his grief--and, god, does he wish he could soothe his grief.

But then someone returns in his body. But it's not him. It's not. And he can't tell them. They're not listening. He tries. He and Black won't let him in. But then Keith leaves and what are they supposed to do? Leave the galaxy defenseless? Isn't it better to let this impostor make a connection and try to discover his intentions. But even then Shiro is weakened--dead, he's dead--and it's hard to stay too focused no matter how hard he tries.

Until Keith is there with him. 

And after that things change so fast.

He has a body and he has the memories of the fake and the castle is gone and they're going to Earth. And everything he wanted to say, he could say. He could, but he doesn't . He goes to hide out in Pidge's lion instead because Shiro is a giant coward.

Earth is, to quote Lance, "a dumpster fire." And that's probably putting it politely. But they are the defenders of the galaxy and so that's what they do. And they win. The only price Earth, and Shiro, must pay for victory, is watching the lions hurtle uncontrollably down while they have no ability to help.

His life has ended so many times, but watching his family in danger and not being able to save them...

Hunk wakes up first, even before Allura, which was a surprise since she always seemed indestructible. After them it's Lance. Then Pidge. The entire Voltron alliance shows up at some point with a bunch of Blades and Keith's mom is there, but her son still hasn't woken up. And everyone wants something of Shiro. Atlas updates. Coordinating with the Alliance. Recruitment. And then there's Voltron. The Joint Chiefs and The UN and the Garrison are all arguing about ownership and jurisdiction and property rights and since Allura is still on half days, Shiro is nominated to go tell them to kindly shove it, that Voltron is an independent entity and that it will never be owned by one planet or one government. 

Shiro comes by Keith's room at least twice a day. He doesn't mean to look like he's pining, like a lovesick idiot, but he's not sure he's succeeding. Krolia is always inscrutable. But he's caught Lance making kissy faces behind his back more than once and Pidge starts smirking at him. Allura and Coran on separate occasions offered to talk with him if he "needed to talk about anything." Hunk just keeps feeding him, which isn't so bad. 

Keith wakes up after nearly two weeks while Shiro is in another meeting with the UN Security Council (what's left of it). Lance walks right in and interrupts whoever it was from wherever they're from who still wasn't getting the point. Lance is out of breath, but he's smiling. "Keith is awake. He's asking for you." And that's all it takes for Shiro to start packing up the little he brought with him to start following Lance out of the room, while a bunch of affronted voices started demanding an explanation.  Shiro holds up his new prosthetic hand and the room goes silent. "The Black Paladin has finally woken up.  Before our next meeting, I hope that you all will read the provided information about the history and makeup of the Voltron Lions and Paladins. Thank you for your understanding."

When they get back to the hospital, Keith is asleep again. No one else is there so Shiro takes hold of Keith's hand and closes his eyes. He must have been tired because he falls asleep too. He wakes up to fingers softly running through his hair and a soft smile on Keith's face. "I hear you're working too hard."

Shiro sits up and Keith's fingers fall to the bed. "I'm...There's lots to do."

"There's lots of people who can do it."

"Not about Voltron. Or Atlas. Or the Alliance." He didn't mean for this to be an argument. Keith just woke up. All Shiro wants to know is how he's feeling. Is he okay? Does he hurt? He doesn't want to talk about work. All he talks about is work. And though Keith still looks soft and relaxed, his eyes have that glint that means he's not going to give this up.

"Everyone else is off of bed rest by now, Shiro. Coran was never on rest. Kolivan and Krolia are here. The Olkari. Let someone help. Take a day off." Shiro opens his mouth to disagree or argue, and Keith just shakes his head and says, "Please, Shiro. Please."

Shiro nods.

Keith closes his eyes and that happy, soft smile comes back. 

"How are you feeling?"

"Good. Tired."

"Me too." It's true. 

Keith pats the bed. "Come up here with me." And, god, Shiro wants to. 

"Are you sure?"

Keith opens his eyes again and looks right at Shiro. He can't look away. "Shiro, you're one of the only things I'm sure of in the whole universe. I'm tired of wanting you and not having you. Aren't you tired too?"

"Yes." The word is quiet, a whisper.

"Then, come here. Let's nap."

Shiro pulls off his heavy, formal military jacket and his boots. He carefully maneuvers into the hospital bed. Keith pulls Shiro's arm around him and snuggles--there's no other word for it--against his chest. Shiro lets out a breath that feels like a shudder. This is real. "Hey," Keith, says, softly, "you're good. You're safe. We're safe."

"Yeah, we are."  

 

 


End file.
